To Hear What the Doctor Will Say

***I MUST WARN YOU THAT THIS BLOG POST MAY BE MORE THAN WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW. However, people constantly ask us about Zoe's health, so I'm going to share.***

There's nothing more that I hate in this world than when Zoe gets sick. Usually when your dog gets sick, you're concerned. However, when you have a dog with Addison's you're always concerned if this is going to affect her treatment, is this a side affect of her prolonged drug use, is this a sign that her body is failing, etc., etc., etc.

We always lay a blanket down on top of the bed so Zoe can lay on it. I have this duvet cover that was a little on the pricey side, and the thought of getting dog hair all over it or mud from the bottom of paws just makes me cringe...even more so since this has to be dry cleaned! So on Saturday night, as we were going to bed, Justin pulled the blanket off and said, "Um, you're not going to like this." Instantly I knew...I knew there was something on my duvet cover...and instantly I was mad! I took a look only to find a spot on the duvet that looked like watered-down blood. Where did this come from? When Zoe had the tumor removed off her leg, the wound would seep a little here and there, but this was much bigger than that. So what do you do next? This is so gross...but you smell it. There was no way I was going to touch it to see if it was still damp. And it was an all too familiar smell. My anger immediately went to worry.

For those of you who are familiar with dogs, I'm sure you know exactly what I am talking about. Others of you...I'll fill you in. Dogs have anal glands that need to be expressed and they can typically do this themselves. If you've ever seen a dog scoot it's butt across the floor, more than likely this is what they are trying to do. When they express their glands, it lets off this odor. I can only describe it as a fishy smell. However, some dogs can't do this themselves and they have to go to the vet to have them expressed. (I bet vets HATE this part of their job!) **TIP--If your dog has just expressed their glands and you want to get rid of the smell...I know this is so gross, but use a baby wipe to wipe their butt and it will help.** If you're still reading...I warned you!

So now that I've given you the background, seeing blood is obviously not a good sign. It's a sign of infection. If you let it go too long, it could turn into an abscess which means surgery and more money spent. Justin and I debated about what we should do. Do we take her the emergency vet clinic (who charges an arm and a leg) or wait until tomorrow and call our vet at home or just wait it out until Monday. We called the emergency vet clinic and talked to them over the phone and they made it seem like it wasn't urgent, so we decided to wait. On Sunday, Justin got up and took a look at Zoe and she was swollen. With no hesitation, we loaded her up in the car and drove her to the emergency clinic. All I can say is that Justin should have become a vet! He diagnosed Zoe correctly with an infected anal gland. The vet expressed her glands and thanked us for saving her time since we were able to diagnose Zoe. Seriously, this is the worse and most disgusting thing ever! They then gave Zoe an antibiotic shot along with some oral antibiotics and we were out of there with a bill of $179.50! Yikes...but hey...at least we saved $24 since our vet is a member of the emergency clinic.

And just for kicks and giggles...I shared with everyone on my facebook profile that we took Zoe to the emergency vet, but kept it G-rated by just saying: I'll spare you the details, but some things with dogs are just gross! And of course Justin had to follow it up with these comments: As if anal sacs aren't bad enough express, infected ones just make your day. & She seems fine...just leakin and stinkin. **Sigh**

I took Zoe to the vet this morning for a follow-up visit. They gave her some additional antibiotics and we need to go back in 2 weeks for a recheck. If she thought getting her Addison's shots were bad, she's going to love having these glands looked at!

Here's a pic I took of her this morning at the vet. This is her usual hideout...laying under the bench. I always have to tell her that we all can still see her! She's our little drama queen! ;-)

Jokingly, I truly believe that this was a conspiracy that Justin & Zoe came up with because Justin has this hatred for my duvet. He thinks it is too hot, even though inside, it has the coolest comforter I could get. The duvet cover is at the dry cleaners, although Zoe picked the wrong week. Justin is out traveling this week and will get home with a newly cleaned duvet cover on the bed! HA HA!